Focusing means for photographic cameras and projectors



July 25, 1933- c. E. H|LLERYCOLLINGS 1 FOCUSING MEANS FORPHOTOGRAPHIOCAMERAS AND PROJECTORS Filed Feb. 25, 1932 2 sheets-sheet. 1

1 3 25 lg ja 7% @9 17 (6 I INVENTOR ATTORNEY5 y 3 c. E. HlLLERY-COLLINGS1,919,513

FOCUSING MEANS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERAS AND PROJECTORS Filed Feb. 25,1952 2 Sheets-Sheet, 2

CHARLES EDWARD HlLLERY-COLLINGS (NVENTOR ATTORNEY d llhe inner casinginaly beretu'rned to the po sitionfoffixediocus by a spring contro1led'by'another external member-,- Which ma be a i v hinged viewfinderadapted to be laid flat on I screwis engaged;saidviewzfinder'when FFECcHARLEs EDWARD HIIiLERY-COIiLiNGS OF Lennon; ENGLAND; Assrenos, BY masksAssIGNMENiis, no CAMERA-*BROJECTORS L'I vrI'rEn, or LONDON, ENG AND; ABRITISH coMsANY ooUsiN iMEANs ron r iofroe aarrric Cam ersnnnq-rnoaiic'roas I Application fiie i -setraar 25, 1932, seri i'iioi.595,104, and'in Great Britain Mare; 16, i931. 1 I

i *This invention relates to focusing. means forphotographic cameras andp'rojectors and is "especially useful in connection withcinematographic'cameras convertible to pro-- 7 f 5 j'ectors. Its chiefobject is to enable the focuswhichinay havebeen Variedfforthe pur poseof pro'jection to be'instantly adjusted to a fixed focallengthibytheoperation 'ota' single external member,

f gate tothe position ofininimurn focaliength 'b for example upon theoperation of an'e'xter nalimember whichniaybe 'the fr ont frameoftheview finder. The outer'casing of the ina strument containinga-fiXed lens maybe com: I

'bined with an 'inner 'casing containing the film gate andpivotallyconnected With theouter'casing atapoint remote from; the film gate,thedistance between the film gate and: v the front of the cameracontai-ningithe lens b ing; adjustablebyfrneans of anexternal Inember, 1for example the head; of a screw;

top'of the'outerfcaisingi in which position the erected for usecausingby rneans of an eccentric action of its hinges th'e disengagementof the screwt when thespring returns the? inner casing-to-the positionoffixedfocus' e In order that i the-j-sa id invention may be clearlyunderstood an'd readiiy carried into o efie'ct, an exemplification' ofthe same ilinow be described more fully'witii reference totheaccompanying drawings, in which a FigureB is a rear ehevation of thecamera,

' the film spool receptacles and their cover betioncontaining thefilnigate; I

According to theinvention means are pro Figure 1 is a front elevation iof a portion of the camera with" the iew finder laid do'wn.

4i Figure Q isaside elev'ation taken' friom' the v left sidei'viewingFigure 1. 7

Figure 5 represents in rear elevationfthe "adjusting mechanisniin itsoperative position, thepartitlonb'eing removed; I

I Figure 6 is adetail representing ince'ntrai casing. -f p it F gure''7'j1 S a-detail representing in rear elevationthe parts of theadjusting mecha mm which are 'carriedin the outer casing. 5 Figure 8 1sa side elevatlon corresponding with that in Figure 2, but with the Viewfind el -erected "the, "inner," and outer casings roken away to'show thefocusing meansin the'inoperative position. In the drawings 11indicates'the outer e as- 'ing; 12 the in'nner casing, 45"the fixedlens,

with which is associated in'the usual way a rotatabie disc 46havingtherein. perforations 47 of d fierent sizes in orderto regulatethe refiectlve lens aperture,-and 48 a View finder ot a known type.lfhisview finder'is provlde-df with' lugs '50, 51;iadapted for angular;

. mOV em nti rrecesseS'at the corners" of the Y outer casing 11. jEccentri'cally'located in these IttgsarethecOrnersof afplatefiit, inwhich is rotatable a screw 54 having a milled head or disc '55,}21;portion'of the peripheryof which milled head projects througha' "slot inthe top of the' 'outer casing When the YiGW finder iscoliaps'ed asseenin Figures 1 and 2, but

When the View finder is erectedthe piate 53 is caused reason of itseccentricconnec tion wlth the lugs of the view-finderto 'descend thatis, to recede from the top of the outer casing sufiicientiyr to drawthemilled headdown flush with the to'p'o'fthe casingifi On theinnerca'sing12issecu'red a plate 56 (see especially Figure 6); in whichis ahole 57 having a' short internal screw thread formed in its upperportion, its lowerpor tionpbeing' of largerjradius; 3A stop'screw 58passes'through this plate 56',5and abuts against the'interior ofthe'outer'casing' l1,

whereby ythe-fixed focal liniit ean be regu r lated, that is; the extentfof movement of [the v filin gate towards thellenswhenflreturning 1 v yffltothc positionloffixedfocus can'belimite'd Figure 4 isan'elevati'onof theinner sidefof r v, ,by'the screw 58;" 'The saids't'opiscrew-aiso F 1the saidg-partition'm :j fserves toise'cu reonxtheiplatetfi a spring'f60" 9 which engages under a bead or flange 61on the plate 53 and constantly tends to press the plate 56, andtherefore the inner casing 12, towards the position of fixed focus. Theinner casing is pivoted on screws (32 securedin the outer casing. Itwill be seen that when the view finder 48 is laid down, and the plate 53is therefore drawn by the eccentric action of the lugs 50, 51 towardsthe top of the outer casing, the screw 54 operatively engages thethreaded portion of the hole 57 and by rotation of the milled head 55 ofthe said screw the inner casing 12 can be slightly rocked about itspivots 62 to adjust the focal length, as indicated in dotted lines inFigure 8. This adjustment can be reversed by reversing the rotation ofthe milled head, but when the view finder 48 is erected, its lugs 50, 51acting on the plate 53 lower the said plate so that the screw 54 isdisengaged from the threaded part of the hole 57 and passes throughthewider part of the said hole. Rotation of the screw would then bedifiicult to accomplish owing to the sinking of the milled head 55 intoits slot in the outer casing, but in any case such rotation would thenbe inefieetive, and the spring 60 confined between thebead 61 and theplate 56 returns the inner casing to the position of fixed focus as seenin full lines in Figure 8.

The partition 63 may be secured to the inner casing 12 by screws 64, 65.The film gate 66 is verticallyadjustable in the said partition, and isarranged to come opposite an opening 67 in a bracket 42 on the inner.

casing, the said bracket also serving to guide the shutter (not shown).The film gate has a hooked. central lug 68 entering a slot 70 in agrooved or depressed portion 71 of the partition 63, and has also atail-piece 72 terminating in a notched end 7 3 engaging aneccentric pinTet which is secured by the screw (32 on the outer side of which is afinger piece 75. By an angular movement of the eccentrio pin efi'ectedby turning the said finger piece a' longitudinal movement of adjustmentcan be imparted to the tail-piece 72 and film gate 66. v

The film is supplied from any suitable spool box (not S1OWI1) or otherreceptacle, and is passed under the hook 79 on the concave outer surfaceof a fixed curved guide 78, then behind the film gate 66, against whichit is held by the spring gate 80 hinged to the partition by two pins orlugs 84 passing through holes in the partition. A hook 82 on thepartition has a spring base 85 and presses on the base 83 of the springgate when the latter is lifted or turned outwardly to permit theinsertion of the film, and presses on anupturned fiange'on the said basewhen the spring gate is in the operative position shown in Figure 3.From the spring gate the film passes over the pivoted presser block; 76,which is of approximately semicircular cross section when designed foruse with a narrow film, and is normally pressed outwardly from thepartition by a spring 77 (Figure 4) engaging its hinges 86. l/Vhen thefilm is inserted and the rear portion of the camera closed on thepartition, the presser block 76 is rocked towards the partition and aloop of film is thereby formed below the spring gate.

The spring gate has inits upper end an opening rather larger than theopening of the film gate 66, and in its lower portion a slot 81corresponding with the slot 70 to give passage to the claw (not shown)which effects the intermittent movements of the film. Such a claw may beactuated by mechanism operating through a hole 87 in the partition 63.The back part of the casing (not shown) of the instruinei'it, whichcontains the spool box, may be hinged to the bottom of the part shown bya pin passing through hinge jaws 88, and a spring clip 89 at the top ofthe casing is provided to hold the back and front parts together whilein operation.

\Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is 1. In a photographic camera convertible for use as aprojector, an outer casing, a lens fixed in said outer casing, an innercasing pivotally connected with said outer casing, a film gate carriedin said inner casing at a point remote from the pivotal connection, amanually operable external member movable in said outer casing andadapt-ed to engage said inner casing to rock said inner casing about itspivots to vary the focal length, a second manually operable externalmember movable in said outer casing and adapted to disengage. said firstnamed external member from said inner casing, and resilient means toreturn said inner casing to the position of minimum focal length upon,the occurrence of such disengagement.

2. In a photographic camera convertible for use as a projector, an outercasing, a lens fixed in said-outer casing, an inner casing pivotallyconnected with said outer casing, a film gate carried-in said innercasing, an adjustable stop carried by said inner casing and adapted toengage said outer casing to limit the relative movement in one directionbetween said casings, a manually operable external member movable insaid outer casing and adapted to engage said inner casing to rock saidlnn er casm g about its pivots to vary the focal length a secondmanually operable 1 external member movable in said outer casing andadapted to disengage said first named external member froinsaid innercasing and resilient means to return s'aid innercasing to the positionlimitedby'said adjustable stop upon the occurrence of-suchdisengagement.-

3.111 a photographic camera convertible for use as a pro ector, an outercasing, a lens fixed in ,saidouter casing, an inner casing pivotallyconnected with said outer casing, a

Lil

film gate carried in said inner casing at a 1 outer casing, a film gatecarried in saidinner casing-at a point remote from thepivotalconnection, a manuallyoperable external mem ber movable insaidoutercasing and adapted point'remote from the pivotal connectionya viewfinder hinged tol said outer casing? by eccentric lugs, aplate'reciprocable by the action of said lugs,ja s'creW rotatable insaid plate a crossbar on said inner easing having therein an aperturescrew threaded in its position of said screw to rocksaid inner casingonits pivotsfbut disengaged there I from when sald screw s 1n-1ts lowerposition,

' 4. In a. photographic camera convertible "for use'asa pro ector', thecomblnatlon of an outer casing, a lens fixed 1n saldouter caslng,

an'inn'er casing pivotally connected with said .to engage said innercasing to rock said inner f casing about its-pivotal axis in order tovary upper part to engage said screw 1n the upper the focal length ofthe camera, a second 'manually operable external member movable insaidouter Casing and adapted to disengage saidfirst" named external memberfrom said and resilientfmeans 'to return said crossbar and inner casingtothe position of minimum focal length on the occurrence of .suchdisengagement."

inner casing, and'automatic means adapted to automatically return saidinner casing to an extreme positionofits range of focal length upondisengagement of said first external member from saidinner casing.

I CHARLES EDWARD HlLLERY-COLLINGS. I

